Vietnam, North to South (3 weeks)

Activities:

Hai Van Pass - I’m lazy so I did this portion in a Jeep as opposed to on a bike. The views on the pass reminded me of a mix between O’ahu, New Zealand’s north island, and Oregon’s Pacific Coast. There were even some runaway truck ramps on the way down, towards Da Nang and Hoi An.

Beach - Spent a day reading by the beach for three hours. Not the bluest water beach, but nonetheless it was quite relaxing! Found a banh mi shop run by a nice lady where I had two meals. Stopped by a burger place for dinner. It was nice to enjoy time by the beach for a couple days.

Lantern Making - Hoi An is filled with lanterns, so I just had to make one of my own! The result was a beautiful sea green lantern; Hoi An was the highlight of my time in Vietnam, in part because of this unique cultural aspect and its sheer beauty.

Night Market - Some new friends from the hostel and I went across the river to the night market. If you think Hoi An during the day is pretty, just wait until the night.

Lodging:

Tran Gia Homestay - Another cozy guesthouse near the beach, so outside of the town. Nice and relaxing for a couple nights. Also a private room.

Tribee Ede - Smaller branch of the Tribee hostels in the beautiful town of Hoi An. No bunk beds here! Sister hostel has a swimming pool.

Eateries:

Burger Craft - Gotta have some western cuisine once in a while. Not bad! This was in Cam An (beach near Hoi An)...there was also another great banh mi place on the main street, once again I don’t recall the name but could easily point it out.

Hoi An Smoothie & Juice - Amazing smoothie place to combat the heat.

Banh Mi Phuong - This one has a caveat. The sandwiches are out of this world...but don’t eat there. It’s overly busy and most of all filthy. One of the filthiest restaurants I encountered on the trip. If I go back I would revisit but only for takeaway.